This one took a bit more logistical work than we expected. We decided to do the hike at 7 pm the night before, but the ranger station had already closed for the evening. We didn't want to book a seat on a shuttle to Chamberlain Ranch without a permit, because we might not be able to get one in the morning. We got the ranger station first thing in the morning when they opened, picked up a permit, and got some of the last seats on the shuttle that left at 9:30 am. We started hiking at 11 am (a bit late, but it was our only option), knowing that we had no choice but to do it in a day.

It was going quickly until the last few miles when my friend's knee started getting pretty bad--but we made it out, caught a bus out of the canyon, dropped off our rental drysuits and cruised back to Salt Lake so he could catch a flight the next morning. A great way to finish the trip.

Hiked with meetup group. From the top to the bottom. Camped near big springs.(site #12)
The water level was about Ankle-Knee deep most of the part and weist-chest deep at couple of point.
The key to the top down backpacking hike is the light weight pack. You better make your back pack as light as possible.
Share water filter, cooking stove, tent etc....
Put everything in the Drybag or ziplock. If you use drybag, leave some air in it, and your bag will float on the water. If you use Ziplock, don't leave any water in it, or ziplock blows and opens in the back pack.

2008 September 22: Slogged through underwater bowling balls for two hours in the middle of the night after finishing a long day in Imlay Canyon. It was really fun -- NOT.
2009 June 04: Finally got to see a bit of the Narrows (beyond the trail) in the daylight after exiting from Mystery Canyon.

did an up and back as far was we could go before the sunset, not sure how far we really made it. also branched up orderville as far as we could go before we knew ropes might be needed. fun pothole to jump in near the end of our journey up orderville. whole thing was gorgeous and very unique. loved floating the deeper sections. cant wait to return

Top to bottom of the Narrows--17 1/2 miles--in one day with my Scout Troop, half very excited (I was in that half), half with hanging heads. Exquisite area, very different hike than anything I have ever done before, since most of it is directly through water and the landscape is very different from my native California.

Never done the whole thing, but parts of it many times. I have been in it running 140 cfs from Mystery, very cold and running pretty good. It was shut down the next day, and for about a month or two after.

We did the car shuttle. Air T at Visitors' Center was ~100F, and water was modest T, with low flow. There were only a few swims, and those were in the lower Narrows, perhaps a few miles upstream from the trail. About 18 miles one-way; I ran down to the loop and back to get an even 20, for good luck. The most important tools were : neoprene socks, a hiking staff, and a waterproofed camera.

It was bizarre to spend the day in relative solitude -- then a mile from the trail, come across hordes of people wandering upstream.